(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 11) – Junior guard Ashley Agee (Moberly, Mo./Moberly) (Moberly, Mo./Moberly) scored 22 points to lead the No. 16 McKendree University women's basketball team to a 76-59 upset win over No. 10 Columbia College Thursday night.
McKendree, now 19-5 overall (9-2 American Midwest Conference), will travel to St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday to face Missouri Baptist University at 2 p.m.
Three other players joined Agee in double figures for the Bearcats in the AMC win. Senior forward Jill Wolf (Okawville, Ill./Okawville) (Okawville, Ill./Okawville) tallied her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while junior guard Katie Fullerton (Coulterville, Ill./Coulterville) (Coulterville, Ill./Marissa) also scored 12 points. Sophomore forward Emily Woodland (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) scored 10 points for McKendree to round out the double-digit scoring.
The Bearcats burst out of the gate and led 5-0 after just over three minutes of play, before Cougar forward Rachel Oswald buried a three-pointer and a jumper on consecutive possessions to tie the game 5-5 at the 15:46 mark. McKendree outscored Columbia, 9-2, over the next four minutes and a three-pointer by freshman guard Leann Voss (Breese, Ill./Breese Central) (Breese, Ill./Breese Central) gave the Bearcats a 17-7 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The McKendree defense only allowed three Columbia players to score in the first half and the Bearcats held a 36-27 lead at the half.
A jumper by Janita Session cut Columbia's deficit to 36-29 after the half, but McKendree went on a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to build a 48-29 lead. The Cougars were forced to foul midway through the second half, but the Bearcats made 20 of 27 free throws in the second half to maintain their lead and deal Columbia their first AMC loss of the season.
Denise Rosario led all players with 25 points in the loss. Rachel Oswald recorded a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, and Veronica Smith tallied 10 points.
-McK-
